Night & Day

June 30 - July 1, 1999

wednesday
june 30
Because everyone wondered just where the Dwight Davis Amphitheatre is (it's the tennis stadium in Forest Park), the Ani DiFranco concert has been moved. Road construction and ongoing improvements in the park have made cramming hundreds of cars into the parking lots surrounding the Davis complex impossible for the time being. So instead of sweating away on the stadium benches, swatting mosquitos and suffering in the humidity, you can see the Righteous Babe from a plush seat in the air-conditioned splendor of the Fox Theatre. (See Concerts)

thursday
july 1
Author Linda Spalding captures the story of human nature and orangutans in her new book, A Dark Place in the Jungle. The story, which takes place in Borneo, chronicles the efforts of Birute Galdikas, a woman who tries to bring the orange primates back from the brink of extinction. Galdikas is to orangutans what Dian Fossey was to gorillas and Jane Goodall is to chimpanzees. Blending readable primate studies with travelogue and science, Spalding captures the desperation of tireless endeavor in the face of overwhelming adversity. Meet the writer tonight as she discusses and signs copies of her book at Left Bank Books in the Central West End. (See Literary Events)

friday
july 2
The Miller Music Blast isn't exactly part and parcel of Fair St. Louis, but the border between the two is negligible, so if the beer, food and music at the Fair aren't enough, head north to find three stages of live music. The opening show is St. Louis favorite Dr. Zhivegas, playing at 8 o'clock tonight on the main stage, located at First and Lucas. Tomorrow, shows begin at 1 p.m. with My Two Planets on the Second and Lucas stage and Soul Kiss and Yo Majesty at 2 p.m. on the main stage and the Second and Morgan stage, respectively. Madahoochi, Colony, Zero, Harmony Riley, Shooting Star and Belle Starr play through the rest of the day and into the evening; new acts start sets every couple of hours or so on the various stages. Tomorrow's lineup includes Daisy Chain, Mesh, Ashtray, Fly Everywhere, the Old 97s, Vitamen A, Slobberbone, Fuel and Javier Mendoza. (See Concerts)

saturday
july 3
The pocket schedule for the St. Louis Cardinals' 1999 season bore a big "TBA" where the time should have been for today's game, but now that all of the Fair St. Louis hubbub has been sorted out, the team will be taking on the Arizona Diamondbacks at 4:10 this afternoon. Who cares that they've got some of the best pitching around and have been sitting at the top of their division? Grandpa once had a nest of diamondbacks out behind the barn; he poured a gallon of gas in the pit and cut off the snakes' heads with trimming shears. That ought to be a metaphor for something. (See Sports)

sunday
july 4
The River City Rascals, ungraced by much press coverage, seem to be holding their own in the world of Frontier League baseball. Next year, they'll have a ready-made rivalry with the Gateway Grizzlies, who have finally found a home in Collinsville, Ill. Though spectators report that the league's teams live up to any minor-league standard of excitement and performance, the Frontier League is lacking someone who can come up with clever names for the ball clubs. The alliteration of "Gateway Grizzlies" might be the winner of a grade-school naming contest (another Frontier League team is the Johnsonville Johnnies). Tonight, the Rascals play the Springfield (Ill.) Capitols, whose name isn't even original -- they're named for the town's minor-league hockey team! Come on, people! (Just for the record, however, someone was doing some thinking on behalf of the London, Ontario, team, naming them the Werewolves -- and their hair was perfect.) (See Sports)

monday
july 5
Anybody who knows anything about musicals understands that the story of Anna and the King of Siam is a pretty good tale and that Rodgers and Hammerstein put together a memorable version of that tale. But what's generated the latest wave of interest in the story? A feature-length cartoon version hit screens earlier this year; Jodie Foster is starring in a live-action rendition slated for release at Christmastime; Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville is staging the play next week; and, tonight, The King and I opens at the Muny for nightly performances through July 11. (See Performing Arts)

tuesday
july 6
Before TV and the Internet started keeping us at home, all to ourselves, people used to gather in living rooms, churches and meeting halls and just sing, raising their voices for their own enjoyment and any lucky listener's pleasure. Some of the staff at Webster University have taken it upon themselves to bring back the public chorale in a series of sight-singing sessions called St. Louis Summer Sings. These concerts, held at Webster's Music Annex, are open to all singers who find performing on their list of enthusiasms and to listeners who enjoy a good performance. Tonight's subject is Randall Thompson's Testament of Freedom. After singers register and rehearse, there'll be a short break and then some socializing, followed by the performance itself. (See Concerts)